mebklen



VALENTIN MERKLEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LATHE FOR TURNING SPIRALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 245,740, dated August 16, 1881,

Application filed May 19, 1881. (No model.)

legs,-and other articles may be ornamented with spiral fiutings, of plain or profiled crosssections, or with pearls, beads, or other ornamentation, in a quicker, less expensive, and more uniform manner than by hand-operated tools heretofore employed.

In carrying out my invention I use a rotary cutter'head which is preferably recessed and carries at a suitable angle of inclination an interchangeable cutter-knife secured ad justably to oneof the inclined cheeks of the cutter-head. The cutter-head is secured to a revolving shaft, which is placed at right angles to the axis of the work and supported in bearings of a traversing carriage. The traversing carriage is operated by a longitudinal revolving screw, while the cutter-shaft receives sin'lnltaneously rotary motion from a cylindrical pulley, which extends alongthe entire lower partof the lathe. This carriage is divided horizontally, the upper part, which carries the cutter-shaft, being adjustable transversely of the lathe by means of a screw on ways of the lower part, whereby the cutter-head is adjusted toward or from the work. The cutter-head is provided with a profiled cap, which is recessed so as to correspond to the recess of the cutter-head, and secured to the face of the cutter head by a concentric guide-shoulder and eccentricallyarranged fastenin g screw-bolt.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 represents a plan View of alathe with myiinproved carving attachment. Fig. 2 is an end View of the same; Fig. 3, a vertical transverse section on line a: m, Fig. 1. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are respectively a side view, a vertical central section on line 3 3 Fig. 4, and an end view of the cutter-head. Fig. 7 shows a pattern cut by the cutter-head represented in Figset to 6, and Figs. 8 to 16 represent different cutter-heads and profiles of the work accomplished by the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a common lathe, the lathe-centers of which support the baluster, table or chair leg, or other article to be carved.

On longitudinal rails a of the lathe is supported a carriage, B, to which traversing mo tion is imparted by a longitudinal revolving screw, 1), which engages a threaded side socket, b, of the carriage B. The traversing carriage B supports in bearings cl a shaft, 0, the axis of which is arranged at right angles to the axis of thework supported in thelathe-centers The shaft 0 carries the cutterheatl O, which has a triangular side recess, e, so as to form inclined cheeks e, to either one (t' which the cutting-knifefis tightly clamped by means of fastening-screws 6 according as a right or left hand screw profile is to be produced. The cutter-shaft 0 receives rotary motion by means of a pulley which extends at the lower part of the a lathe along the full length of the same, and is revolved by a belt'and-pulley connection with a counter-shaft above.

The upper part of the carriage B is guided in transverse rails of thelower part and moved thereon toward or away from the work by a screw, g, turned by a hand-cranky, said screw engaging a nut ot' the upper part of the car riage B, as shown in Fig. 3. The cutter-head C is thereby set to the blank mounted in the lathe-centers or away from the same, as required.

The relative position of the carriage B and cutter-head O is changed in longitudinal di' rection on thelathe byturning the screw-shaft b by a hand-crank, it, until the cutter-head assumes its proper position toward the work. A slotted standard, It, is clamped to one end of the lathe-frame and provided with interchangeable gear-wheels h h, of which the lower gear meshes with a pinion, h, of the screw-shaft I), while the gear-wheel k meshes by a pinion fixed thereto with a gear-wheel, If, 5

screw-shaft to the lathespindles andthe blank I00 to be carved, which is thereby slowly revolved, While it is at the same acted upon by the revolving cutter-head 0. By applying dift'erently-sized gear-wheels to the slotted standard It a quicker or slower motion is imparted to the blank, according to the pitch required.

In place of working the screw-shaft by hand, it can also be worked by power by means of pulleys and belt and a suitable belt-shifting device.

The blank is adjusted axially in the lathecenters in the usual manner by locking the gear-wheel h consecutively into diflerent axial positions bya spring-pin, h", which enters equidistant socket-holes of the gear-wheel.

The construction of the cutter-head O and the shape of the cutting-knives are clearly shown in detail in Figs. 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 15. The cutter-head Ois screwed byits interiorlythreaded shank tightly upon the end of the cutter-shaft, and thec'u tting-knit'e clamped into position to one of the cheeks of the cutterhead. The profileof the cutting-knifeis equal to the profile of one-half of the section of the pattern to be produced upon the work, so that by the rotations of the cutting-knife the full pattern is produced. The inner edge of the cutting-knife is exactly in line with the center of the cutter-head, which is faced bya detachable cap, 0 having the same profile as the cutting-knife. The cap 0 is recessed in line with the inclined cheeks of the cutter-head to admit the setting of the knife so as to project somewhat beyond the cap G The cap (3 is placed accurately in position upon the cutterhead by means of a concentric shoulder, Q,

a which fits into a concentric recess, 71, of the cutter-head, as shown clearly in Fig. 5. The cap 0 is secured by an eccentrically-arranged screw-bolt, i which passes longitudinally through the cutter-head, and which can be removed by unscrewing, so as to release the facecap after the cutter-head is removed from its shaft.

1 The cutter-head C can be employed for cutting a right or left hand spiral, according as the cutting-knife is secured to one cheek or the other of the cutter-head.

When the revolving cutter-head is applied I to the work, it produces, by the inclined position of the knife tothework,the simultaneous traversing motion of the cutter-shaft, and the slow turning motion of the blank, a spiral ornamental profile upon the baluster or other article to be carved. When one entire spiral is thus carved upon the baluster the carving attachment is returnedto its starting position, the baluster turned on its axis forthe required distance, and a second spiral cut in the same manner, and so on until the spiral ornamentation of the baluster or other article is completed. In this manner simple or compound profiles, channels, flutings, &c.,maybe carved spirally upon the article to be ornamented, also pearls, as shown in Figs. 14,15, and 16, which latter may be arranged in circular or spiral lines, as desired.

The carving attachment facilitates the production of spiral ornamentation, as it is accomplished by power and dispenses with the tedions and expensive carving of this class of ornamentation by hand.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- In a lathe, the combination of a longitudinally traversing carriage divided horizon tally, the upper part being adjustable transversely of the lathe on ways of the lower part by means of a screw, a longitudinal screwshaft for operating the carriage, a cutter-head mounted on said carriage at right angles to the axis of the work, a rotary cutter-head attached to the cutter-shaft, and mechanism for rotating the work simultaneously with the movement of the carriage and cutter-head, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 7th day of March, 1881.

VALENTIN MERKLEN.

Witnesses:

PAUL GOEPEL, CARL KARP.

ltig hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 25,740, gm'nted August 16, 1881, upon the application of Valentin Merkleu, of New York, New York, for an improvement in Lathes for Turning Spirals, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction, as follows: In line 80, page 2, the word cutterlieud should read cutter-shaft; and that the Letters Pateut should be read with this correction .therein that the some may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed, oountersigued, and sealed this 22d day of June, A. D. 1886.

[SELL] D. L. HAWKINS,

Acting Secretary of the Interior. Goun tersigned:

M. V. MONTGOMERY,

Commissioner of Patents. 

